Last Man Standing
by AWalkerAmongstFandoms
Summary: War has broken out in the FAYZ, and everyone is fighting for survival in this strange new world... An SYOC story that pits human against mutant in all-out battle against one another... When it's every man for himself, who will prevail? I do not own the Gone series or its respective characters, these all belong to Michael Grant. Rated T for violence and dark themes.
1. SYOC Guidelines

This is my first ever published work, so if you guys notice any errors or just see any areas of my writing that could be improved, please just drop a comment or two in the reviews section – I'm really grateful for all of the help I can get!

This is going to be an SYOC story, where anyone can submit their own character to be used in my story, whether or not you actually have an account here or are just a passing guest. Below I'll give you the character profile structure that you need to use. I'll start the story when I have around 10 characters, and each time someone sends in a character, I'll incorporate them into the story – however, after a while, I will close the entries and just include those SYOCs that have already been submitted.

The story will be taking place in the original FAYZ, and so will include original characters from the books. The options for schools are Coates Academy and Perdido Beach Middle or High School.

The age range for any submitted characters is 8-14 years old. I would appreciate it if you follow this age range.

The storyline is that, instead of the kids joining together in a delicate alliance such as is seen in the books, everyone distrusts each other in this strange new world and it isn't long before the whole situation boils to a crescendo and all-out war begins. It's every man for himself, whether you're human or mutant. It's become survival of the fittest, last man standing… so who will win in this brave new world?

SYOC Profile:

Name:

Age:

Gender:

Personality:

Appearance:

Sexual Orientation:

Relationship Status:

School:

Human or Mutant:

If Mutant:

Power:

Bars (1-5):

Power Description:

If Human:

Feelings towards Mutants:

Family:

Fears:

My own OC will feature in the story:

Name: Jude Burrows

Age: 14

Gender: Male

Personality: Suffers from a strong case of split personality. One side is kind, caring, loyal to his friends and family, and would never kill anything unless it was a life or death situation in which he would use whatever force necessary. However, this half also understands that in this world, he must harm others if he is to survive. The other half of his personality is a cold, cruel, ruthless killer that will stop at nothing until his enemies are dead. He cannot be reasoned with, and is a strong lone wolf character. The only people he may not harm are those that he recognises as friends or family, but it is a rare instance that he will show mercy to anyone.

Appearance: Pale skin and cold, grey eyes with a trace of blue. He has ginger hair that he slicks up at the front and to the side with gel. He prefers to wear casual, comfortable clothes – dark/light grey or black t-shirts, jeans (sometimes worn or faded at the knees, or ripped), and dark Converse or Vans shoes (however, he is not a Goth). Tall for his age – around 5ft 9". He is a little skinny but very fast.

Sexual Orientation: Straight

Relationship Status: Single

School: Perdido Beach High

Human or Mutant: Mutant

Power: Telekinesis and Telepathy

Bars: 5

Power Description: Able to move anything he can see with his mind, and his telepathy means that he can loosely control people's current actions, see people's inner thoughts, and, so long as he knows the person, can know where they are at that exact moment.

Family: Clara Burrows (Mother, 39), John Burrows (Father, 41), Rebecca Burrows (Grandmother on father's side, 68), Michael Burrows (Grandfather on father's side, 71), Maria Smith (Grandmother on mother's side, 70), Peter Smith (Grandfather on mother's side, 72)

Fears: That his darker half will consume his body and he will permanently be in his darker state forever.

I do not mind how many OC's you send in at any one time, however if you send a lot in (I can't imagine anyone will), then please remember that probably not all of your OC's will be included straight away.

Please also remember that your OC's will most likely die at some point during the story. Of course, if your OC dies in battle, you may send in another via the reviews/comments section.

This probably will not happen, but if you have any requests for romance to take place between any submitted OCs, please send the request in either your OC's character profile or in a separate comment. I will only accept romances between OCs that belong to different people so long as both people have given their consent to this happening. I will immediately accept romances between OCs that belong to the same person.

I'm really looking forward to getting on with the story, so please submit OCs as soon as you can!

Thanks,

AWalkerAmongstFandoms


	2. The Main Characters

I know I said that I'd start the story when I had around 10 characters, but I'm so impatient to start that I think I'll just take the 5 characters I have at the moment and write the first few characters. So, to those who sent in an OC, thanks for your support! I'm grateful for all of the help that I can get with the story!

The OCs that have been submitted already will now feature in my story as the main characters, however the next 5 submitted OCs or so will also feature as main characters as well. Like I said, I'm really grateful for all the support you guys have given me already and I hope to see more OCs rolling in!

Here, then, are the main characters:

Name: Lilith "Lily" Park (Submitted by paperkite)  
Age: 14

Gender: Female  
Personality: Lily is known for not caring much about what people think of her. She's an assertive girl who often speaks her mind and lacks a filter. People who don't know her well could think of her as rude, but she's just being honest. Her humour is very sarcastic and not for everyone, but she's good at cheering people up with her jokes. She doesn't go past anyone's limits, but likes to stretch out her own as far as possible. She's an emotionally intelligent person, which means she can read people's attitude and face very well. She knows how to adapt to people and to a situation, and always tries to keep the peace between everyone. However, if someone dares to challenge her, things can get pretty nasty. She's not afraid of fights and usually avoids them because she thinks of them as a waste of time, but will do anything to protect her pride. Though she doesn't cry easily, she doesn't find it hard to show compassion or comfort other people. Her anger can be a bit explosive, but it usually doesn't escalate. She can be quite merciless towards people she doesn't like, and often goes with her mind instead of her gut.  
Appearance: Lily has strawberry blonde, wavy hair that reaches mid-way her ribcage. Her eyes are always slightly narrowed and are a clear, breath-taking blue. What makes her stand out the most is the fact that she is covered in freckles from head to toe. Her skin has a rosy and pale colour. She has very sleek and slender features; an edged jaw, a ski-sloped nose and high cheekbones. She has plump lips, the corners often upturned into a smirk. She has a normal weight for her length, though a bit on the thinner side. She doesn't really have defined curves, but she doesn't care much for them anyway. She's stronger than the average girl, but would find a challenge in boys her age.  
Sexual Orientation: Pair her up with whoever you'd like...  
Relationship Status: Single  
School: Coates Academy  
Human or Mutant: Mutant  
Power: Precognition  
Bars: 3

Power Description: She can predict the near future. If she would have had more bars, she would probably be able to look further into the future, but she would have to train that. She can only predict her own future, or future's in which she's present alongside others.  
Family: Her parents, Ariane and Ben Park, both have jobs that require a lot of travelling. It is part of the reason Lily was send to Coates. They care a lot about their daughter, though Lily doesn't want much to do with them. She doesn't like that they just left her at Coates. She doesn't have any siblings.  
Fears: Drowning/deep water, being taken advantage of, being left behind/abandoned, being alone, the dark and to lose all hope.

Name: Alessandra Green (submitted by white wolf124)  
Age: 14  
Gender: Female  
Personality: She is more on the quiet and reserved side. She usually just sits back and observes others. She loves sports, animals and reading. She is very smart and loves learning new things. She rides horseback, rows, and rock climbs. Alessandra suffers from social anxiety and has a hard time dealing with new people. She is very outgoing with the people she knows. Loves her animals and has many. She has a black mare names Cinders and also a lab named Ella. She is a very warm and kind person to those who take their time to know her. She is very loyal and never wants to hurt anyone emotionally. She was bullied in elementary school and knows what it feels like. She never wants anyone else to feel that way.  
Appearance: She is tall and has an athletic build; she is around 5'7. Her hair is waist length and golden blond. She died silver streaks through her hair to match her eyes. She has large silver eyes. She likes to wear whatever is comfortable. Likes jean shorts and tank tops with sneakers when it's hot. When it's cold she wears leggings, a tank top, boots and an oversized sweatshirt. She never wears long sleeved shirts and hates dresses or skirts.  
Sexual orientation: pansexual  
Relationship status: single  
School: Perdido Beach High  
Human or Mutant: Mutant  
Power: She can change her appearance like Mystique from X-Men  
Bars: 4  
Power description: Her powers are just like Mystique but she also can change into animals if she wants. She can also change her clothes and makeup like she can her body.  
Family: Dad (Mike Green), Mom (Skylar Green), deceased sister (Amelia Green), Horse (Cinders, Dog (Ella)  
Fears: She fears that everyone secretly hates her and thinks she's a failure she that's why she acts so quiet. She thinks she is wasting their time so she usually just doesn't say anything.

Name: Rae Campbell (Ray or Rae, for short) – (submitted by maycontestdrew)  
Age: 14  
Gender: Female  
Personality: She is friendly, caring and kind, and always has a witty or sarcastic snark up her sleeve. She loves talking to people, but usually makes them do more of the talking – she has always been more of a listener. That does not mean that she does not talk, she loves talking to people. She is extraverted, and believes that the more friends, the merrier. She has quick wits that make her respond to situations quickly, and she is a smooth liar and knows how to act. When she is forced to make a quick decision, she always follows her gut instincts. When she is making a longer-term decision, she likes to think it through practically and emotionally: although emotions usually overrule and make the final decision.

She loves being the person to make everyone smile, and tries to think of things to say to lighten up the mood: whether it be a pun, a sarcastic comment or even a pick-up line. She adapts to the people around her, and tries to match her humour with their senses of humour. She is quick when it comes to liking people and tends to trust people a bit too easily. However, since she is a smooth liar herself, she tends to be able to know when someone is lying – which is why she trusts easily – because if she can't sense that someone is lying, she is ready to trust them and welcome them with respect and love.

She is daring and she can quickly lose patience or become dejected if they get trapped in a boring role. Also, she always has a sarcastic snark up her sleeve. She is a free spirit. She can be fiercely independent, and much more than stability and security, she will crave creativity and freedom. Not to mention, people always underestimate her for being small when really, her love of sport has built her into a rather tough cookie. She has quick wits and she will lie smoothly to cover up just helps. She is great for pep talks - due to her optimistic nature, she is always there to try making someone smile.  
When she meets someone new? Since she likes people so much, she usually tries her best to get to know them. She, herself, does not like being ignored. So she would try sparking a conversation with them - and she would try making them talk more than her. She is an eternal optimist, and always looks for the good in every situation. There is almost never a moment when there isn't a smile on her face. She likes to try understanding people's situations calmly, and tries to find the root to their problems and help them as much as she possible can. She is very selfless, and is willing to put herself in dangerous positions for those she loves. She likes taking risks. She is curious quite often and quizzical, and she has always been artistic.  
When she is scared, she tries her best not to show it. Her hands go colder than usual and she talks a little less, but she does not show she is afraid and will lie to cover up if people think she is. She doesn't like showing fear, because if she acts afraid, then other people will be afraid. She likes to put herself in other people's shoes, and has a good perception.  
Appearance: She has deeply tanned skin. She's slim and petite, but she's strong. She's got hidden muscle within her, but you can barely tell from her slim physique. Her nose is pretty small, with high cheek-bones and her cheeks seem to have an autumn blush. She's got a rather small forehead. Her face is angular, with defined cheek bones. She is short, at about 155cm and quite light, with a weight of 40kg. Her black hair is tied up in a high ponytail, and is wavy. It is really long, reaching her waist when it is tied up in that high ponytail. She has large eyes that are like swirls of dark coffee, framed by relatively long eyelashes. Her legs are long, however, her torso is really small - hence, the reason she is short. She is really slim, verging towards the skinny side. She has almost no chest bust. Her cheeks have a natural autumn blush to them, and she has a single dimple on her left cheek.  
She wears a baggy white midriff top that exposes part of her flat stomach, and the top is rather wide for her as it draped over one of her shoulders. She wears black shorts underneath and black boots. The midriff top has sleeves, but they're short. On the right side, they reach halfway down her bicep. On the other side, since it slings over her shoulder, it nearly reaches her elbow. She wears black combat boots underneath.  
Sexual Orientation: Straight  
Relationship Status: Single  
School: Coates Academy  
Human or Mutant: Mutant  
Power: Ice Manipulation  
Bar: 3  
Power Description: She can move snow around, or conjure ice and snow from her hands or feet. Although she can make a huge blizzard, she has no control over what would happen if she made a blizzard - so she avoids it because she probably wouldn't get out of one alive. She can't melt any of her ice. She can freeze solid structures over, or freeze liquid into ice as well. She can create frost. She can make sudden ice walls come out from the floor, which can be helpful when she is defending herself from attacks. With a stomp of her foot, she can freeze the ground or she can shoot beams of ice from her hand. She can freeze a person - HOWEVER. Her ice cannot melt naturally. She has to be touching the ice to make it melt.  
Family: Ruby Moore (divorced mother, 42 - who is mentally ill), Craig Campbell (father, 43) - she never met her grandparents.  
Fears: Losing a very close friend, or accidently freezing everyone around her.

Name: Cathrine Rosso (submitted by Red blooded Being)  
Age: 13 almost 14  
Gender: Female  
Personality: Cathrine is very shy and prefers to bow her head most of the time to avoid being noticed. Many people who know her well will describe her as adorable and nervous, she tends to stutter slightly when she talks to people she doesn't know very well and she bites her lip a lot. Cathrine is very humble and peaceful, she doesn't like to fight but she also doesn't like to trust other people outside her family, she likes to keep to herself and she loves to read, she can often be found in the library. Cathrine is surprisingly smart and clever but she doesn't like to flaunt her knowledge, so many people just take her as being average in smarts when rudely she is incredibly smart. Cathrine also was never bullied, because she was never noticed. Cathrine also adores children and they seem to adore her, around children she is an entirely different person, she smiles so bright that her eyes twinkle and she loses her shyness. Around children Cathrine is very caring, kind and attentive, this is because she grew up with 5 younger siblings.  
Appearance: Cathrine has thick waist length, wavy, golden blonde hair that she often wears in a simple braid that goes down her back. Her teeth are white and straight from the use of braces and her lips are pouty and pink, she has an oval shaped face and a sharp jawline paired with slightly defined cheekbones, while her skin is cream coloured and her nose is covered in faded freckles. Many people would agree that her most striking feature is her eyes, they are a beautiful dark blue with flakes of silver and light blue in her irises, and they remind many people of the night sky if they look at them long enough. She is a tiny little thing, standing at only 5'1 and she is very skinny with very little muscle or fat mass on her, her style normally consists of a pair of black leggings, a 3/4 sleeved shirt and plain brown moccasins that go up to her ankles and tie up with brown leather laces. Many people would say that Cathrine was a beautiful girl, but no one ever takes one glance at her and she likes it that way.  
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual  
Relationship Status: Single  
School: Perdido Beach Middle School  
Human or Mutant: Mutant  
Power: She can change people's memories or take away their memories completely.  
Bars: 4  
Power Description: She can take someone's memories and change anything about them, from their emotions during to memory to where it took place she can change it. She can also take away people's memories completely if she wishes to, but in that case all of their memories will store themselves into her brain and she will remember them as if she was there but she knows that she wasn't. But this doesn't happen if she changes a memory.  
Family:

Jeremey Rosso- Father, Age: 37  
Isabelle Rosso nee Wayward- Mother, Age: 36  
Heather Rosso- Sister, Age: 11  
Jonathan Rosso- Brother, Age: 9  
Jacob Rosso- Brother, Age: 9  
Emilia Rosso- Sister, Age: 4  
Aurora Rosso- Sister, Age: 1 1/2  
Victor Wayward- Maternal Grandfather, Age: 62  
Olivia Wayward nee Taylor- Maternal Grandmother, Age: 61  
Michael Taylor-Maternal Great-Grandfather, Age: 89  
Cathrine Taylor- Maternal Great-Grandmother, Age: 90  
John Rosso- Paternal Grandfather, Age: 59  
Grace Rosso nee Johnson- Paternal Grandmother, Age: 57  
Jackson Rosso- Paternal Great-Grandfather, Age: 93  
Zachariah Johnson- Paternal Great-Grandfather, Age: 88  
Annabel "Annie" Johnson- Paternal Great-Grandmother, Age: 86

Fears: Accidentally taking away people's memories or worse taking away her families memories of her.

My own OC will also feature as one of the main characters, however his details are already in the first chapter so he will not be found here.

To the four who submitted the OCs above, I wanted to say thank you (again) and also that I was very impressed with the amount of detail and effort you all have clearly put into the OC profile. Now you can sit back, relax, and watch your OCs' adventures unfold . . . or, you know, you could send me another character – take your pick.

Watch this space for the first chapter!

Thanks,

AWalkerAmongstFandoms


	3. Chapter 1

_Lilith Park was standing by her locker, her pale fingers hooked around the locker's rusted old padlock as she thumbed in the locker combination. The bolts inside clicked and grinded together as the padlock slowly slid open and Lilith – Lily to her friends – removed the padlock from the locker's handle and swung the locker door open. The metal was dented, the crimson-red paint blemished in places by scratches, but the locker was in excellent condition compared to others that Lily had seen around the school. Inside, exercise books, textbooks and other dull tomes given to her by teachers – "An excellent book, you'll quite like this one," was a phrase that Lily had become quite accustomed to – were stacked up on the top shelf, however the main part of her locker was taken up by the large duffel bag containing her sports kit – muddy, of course, after P.E. the week before – and her hockey stick. Lily reached up towards the top shelf – the girl was slightly tall for her age and so found it fairly easy to retrieve her Maths exercise book as well as the Algebra textbook that she needed for the next lesson – and as she closed the locker door, she found Diana Ladris waiting on the other side._

 _The girl was leaning against the locker door beside Lily's, her shirt and blazer sleeves rolled up to just beneath the elbows. Diana was wearing the same uniform as Lily wore – the girl's uniform for Coates Academy. Lily scowled. It was the one similarity between the two fourteen-year-old's and even then Lily wished that they didn't even share_ that _small detail. "What do you want, Ladris?" Lily demanded. "I'm busy."_

" _Lily, Lily," Diana tutted, wagging a slender, manicured finger in Lily's direction. "Don't be so obnoxious. Aren't two friends allowed to have a chat once in a while?"_

" _You_ aren't _my friend," Lily replied. She turned to walk away when Diana laid a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from walking away. The strength hidden inside her was surprising, Lily noted as Diana's tight grip on her shoulder forced her to turn around. "There we go," Diana said sweetly, smiling. "I just want to have a quick chat."_

" _Soren sent you, didn't he?"_

" _Yes. And you'd do well to remember that." Diana's tone suddenly turned cold in a matter of moments and Lily froze. There was a certain line you didn't cross with Diana and that was something that even Lily wasn't bold enough to step over. Diana smiled again. "I've been hearing some rumours about you, Lily," she said casually, leaning back against the locker and examining her nails. Lily's heart skipped a beat as her blood ran cold. Not the powers . . ._

" _The rumours tell_ me _that you've developed some rather extraordinary powers. I'm in the business of monitoring people's powers and every time someone new crops up, well . . . Caine sends me to speak to them. What_ are _your powers, Lily?"_

 _Lily kept her mouth shut, determined not to speak or reveal her secrets._

" _I_ believe _I asked you a question. It isn't wise to keep me waiting," Diana continued. Yet still, Lily did not answer. "That's fine," Diana said. "I'll just go and get my old friend Drake. I'm sure you'll answer to him." Fear of_ that _boy already clouded Lily's mind after her last encounter with Drake Merwin and the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them._

" _I can see the future."_

Lily's eyes snapped open as she jolted awake. The girl, still a little fearful, glanced about the room. No. It had been a dream. Lily was in her bedroom, not Coates. Not that despicable place . . . Across the room, Rae Campbell was asleep. Lily sat in silence and watched her friend for a few moments, making sure that, in her startled awakening, Lily had not woken her. No. The girl was still fast asleep. The pair had been friends ever since the two had joined her Coates, arriving at the school at around the same time. It was a complete coincidence that the two would end up sharing a dormitory. Ever since then, the pair had been inseparable, attending lessons together, walking together, eating lunch and dinner together . . . the list went on.

Lily eased herself quietly back down onto the bed and pulled the sheets around her, desperate to fall into a dreamless sleep. She closed her eyes, exhausted, and that was when she heard the smash and the yell. Lily sat up, in unison with Rae, who had been awoken, too, by the sudden noise. "What the hell . . ." Lily murmured. A boy was lying on the floor, clearly in some considerable amount of pain, lying amongst the glass shards from the now-smashed window. One had pierced his chest and Lily guessed that the boy had smashed through the window – but how, or _why_ , was unbeknownst to the two girls that watched in stunned silence as the boy forced himself to his feet. He staggered back, leaning against the wall, and gritted his teeth as he pulled the glass shard from his chest. There was a little blood, but Rae guessed that the shard hadn't gone too deep, otherwise the boy wouldn't have dared pull it out without something to stem the flow with.

"Sorry about the window," was all the boy said as he staggered back to the smashed window and looked down.

"Where have you gone . . ." he murmured to himself but Rae could still pick out the words as he said them. Both girls took in his appearance as his eyes scanned the street. The boy had ginger hair, slicked up at the front with gel, and pale skin. His eyes were a cold grey but deep in them Lily could detect a trace of light blue. He was wearing a dark grey t-shirt, cut slightly on the chest from where the glass shard had pierced him. There were faint traces of blood around the hole in the t-shirt, as well as some on his face and hands. On top of the t-shirt he was wearing a dark grey zipper hoodie and a black, hooded leather jacket. His jeans were dark, worn and a little ripped at the knees, and the boy was also wearing dark grey Converse boots, the laces tied in a messy knot.

The boy climbed up onto the windowsill and brushed aside the dusting of glass shards in his way. He looked as if he was about to jump out, and before he could, Rae suddenly asked, "Who are you?"

The boy looked back over his shoulder. "My name is Jude Burrows." Then he jumped through the window and was gone.


	4. Chapter 2

At the exact moment that a boy had been thrown through a window and into a bedroom on the opposite side of Perdido Beach, Cathrine Rosso was lying in an ashen, smoking crater alongside Alessandra Green. The latter girl was unconscious, the force of the explosion sending the girl's brain into shut-down mode as she had been thrown like a rag-doll the crater. Cathrine looked up, her eyes watering in the intense heat. A dull pain throbbed through her legs and Cathrine realised that at least one of her legs was broken. _Got to move_ , Cathrine thought, her mind slipping into emergency mode as the silhouette with a boy appeared through the smoke haze at the ridge of the crater. "Come on!" Cathrine shouted at herself through gritted teeth as she forced herself to her knees and then her feet, weak with a dizzying heat as a cold laugh reached her, echoing like an unwanted spectre from the figure of the boy who stood atop the dirt bank before her. Cathrine tried to walk forwards, limping, but she staggered and righted herself moments before she would have collapsed to the ground once more.

"This whole _war thing_ doesn't really suit you, does it?" The boy said. There was the crunch of boots on crispy, ashen dirt as the boy slowly approached the two girls down the side of the crater.

Through the thick blanket of smoke, Cathrine could now see the whip hand, trailing like a serpent from the arm of the boy that approached them now, his slow walk menacing as his whip hand swung to and fro. _I have to do something_ , was the thought that ran on a continuous loop through Cathrine's brain as the boy stopped roughly twenty feet away. That was when the thought entered Cathrine's mind. A smile broke out on Cathrine's face, a cute little smile that her friends found endearing and her parents found loveable. It showed her immaculate white teeth, and, for a moment at least, Drake Merwin was dumbfounded.

"What?" He demanded. Cathrine couldn't see the boy's face through the thick smoke haze, but if she could, she wouldn't have seen that his cold, angular features were twisted into a frown. "What are you smiling about, you cow?!" Cathrine didn't reply – at least, not with words. The girl replied by raising her right arm, fingers outstretched in the direction of the boy's head. _It's so simple_ , Cathrine thought as her mind probed his, her fingers the anchor for this inner thoughts and memories. Cathrine pushed past the useless ones, delved deep into the intricate ones, working along the darkest tunnels and inner workings of Drake Merwin's brain . . . Until she found what she was looking for – the memory of when Drake met the two girls.

Cathrine crushed the memory with her mind and a deadpan expression came over the boy's face. His features slackened, as if he was in a state of shock. Without the original memory, he had no reason to be there . . . or at least, that was the reasoning that came to Cathrine's mind as Drake turned on his heel and slowly walked away.

Lily threw back the covers and ran to the window, closely followed by Rae as the pair of girls stopped abruptly by the windowsill and looked down. Below them, two floors down, a creature, a huge beast, six or seven metres high with broad shoulders and huge limbs, had the fingers of its right hand hooked around Jude's throat as it lifted him high into the air. Lily's eyes widened in surprise and terror at the beast but Jude seemed calm, focused, rather than struggling in the beast's grip. "We have to help him!" Rae exclaimed. Rae had the odd habit of sleeping her clothes, as if at any moment the girl expected to have to run from some unforeseen terror and leave immediately – and it was because of this habit, the origins of which Lily could not fathom ever since the two had become friends, that Rae had already ran out of the door as Lily turned to look at her. She glanced back down into the street and saw that Jude had one hand locked around the beast's arm – it was only then that Lily saw that the creature was made of _stone_ – and that his other was outstretched towards the beast, fingers splayed. Tearing her eyes away, Lily hurriedly changed into her clothes from the day before, leaving her pyjamas on the bed, and she tore from the room, sprinting down the staircase in the wake of Rae.

When Lily reached the street, she stopped suddenly, standing a little way behind Rae. Jude was lying on the ground, panting, and the beast that Lily had seen only moments before was no-where in sight.

"Did . . . did you see that?" Rae murmured, the words almost inaudible to Lily.

Lily looked at her friend. "See what?"

"Jude . . . he – he threw the monster away. And he didn't even touch it."


	5. Chapter 3

"What the hell _was_ that thing?!" Lily exclaimed as she ran over to Jude. The boy slowly got to his feet, a faint grimace of pain worn on his features, and dusted himself off. He turned to face the two girls as they approached him.

"His name is Orc," Jude replied, explaining.

"Wait . . . that thing is a _he_?" Rae asked as she reached Jude. He nodded.

"Yes," he replied. "It's kind of a long story, but basically Orc received mutant powers at the beginning of the FAYZ, and, well . . . let's just say he wasn't as lucky as some of us." There was a moment of grim silence as the three stared down the road that Orc had just been thrown down.

Then, Jude broke the silence with, "Come on. We need to get out of here."

Lily exchanged a look with Rae.

"Why?" Rae asked in reply. Jude turned back to face the both of them.

"It isn't safe here. Not for any of us."

"But . . ."

"Look," Jude suddenly interrupted. "I don't have to time to explain this now. So, are you coming, or not?" Jude then turned on his heel and set off down the road. Rae looked over at Lily. A silent understanding passed between the two friends and, sighing, they both set off after Jude.

Cathrine sagged to her knees as the boy walked animatedly from the crater, leaving the two girls alone. After catching her breath, Cathrine crawled to the limp body of Alessandra. Hurriedly, Cathrine listened to her chest. There was a heart-beat. Faint, but there. Cathrine half-smiled. Good. Her friend was still alive. She hooked her arms underneath the girl's body and heaved, but immediately collapsed again. The pain in her leg was too great. Cathrine looked up. There was still a thick smoke cloud swirling upwards from the flames, threatening to choke the girls. Cathrine coughed, a hacking cough. Soon, they would both suffocate and Cathrine had no way to save her or her friend. Her leg was too weak to climb from the crater and if she tried, she would only worsen the injury. Cathrine did the only thing she thought she _should_ do. "Help!" Cathrine screamed. "Help us! Please! Somebody, help us!" Immediately after she had screamed the words, she cursed herself for being so foolish. What if Drake heard their cries? What if somehow, he had thrown off the stupor that Cathrine had placed him in and was returning, right now, to kill them?

As if in reply to Cathrine's thoughts, the girl saw a silhouette appeared through the smoke haze at the edge of the crater. Cathrine shuffled back, towards the unconscious body of her friend, and held her hand. If this was how it was supposed to end, then . . .

"Hello?" The silhouette called down. "Who's down there?" Cathrine breathed a sigh of relief. It was not the voice of Drake Merwin.

"We need help," Cathrine replied.

For a moment, there was no reply, and then a girl walked through the thick cloud of smoke and stopped in front of Caroline. She looked to be the same age as Cathrine, although was a little shorter than her, with dark brown skin and eyes the colour of chocolate that seemed to project warmth towards Cathrine. Her clothes were simple and a little plain – a light brown tank top, and old denim shorts that went halfway down her thighs, however they were torn in several places. On her feet, she wore old grey Converse trainers with laces tied up in a loose knot.

"My name is Nora," the girl said. "I think you should come with me."


	6. Chapter 4

When the basement door swung open, Dean jolted up into a sitting position. He had been half-asleep, but now he was fully alert. He scanned the numbers displayed on the digital watch attached to his wrist – 2:37am. Nora wasn't due back for another hour yet. Dean glanced up at the door. His heart momentarily skipped a beat as he saw a girl that he didn't know, but then was calmed again as he heard Nora's voice call out to him from somewhere behind the girl. "It's alright, Dean, they're with me," she said, and he slumped back onto the mattress again, calm again. The first girl limped down the basement stairs, clearly injured on one of her legs, although from where Dean was sitting he couldn't tell which. Nora followed down behind her, closely tailed by another girl who was unfamiliar to Dean. She seemed uninjured although a little dazed. Nora quietly showed the two girls to a couple of mattresses pushed up into the corner between the steps and the far wall, before slowly coming over and slumping down onto the mattress next to Dean.

"Are you alright?" He asked. "You look exhausted."

"That's because it's half past two in the morning," Nora replied. She sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. It's just it's been a long night and I had to get those two across town without running into any trouble. There's more patrols around the streets at this time of night."

"It's okay," Dean replied, brushing a strand of Nora's dark brown hair away from her face. "I was just worried about you." Nora looked up at Dean, and gave him a soft smile.

Dean leaned down and gently kissed her on the lips. Dean then slowly broke away and lay down on the bed. "Thanks," Nora said. "That's just what I needed." She lay down, her head on his chest, and soon the pair were fast asleep.

Jude, Rae and Lily had come to stop at the end of a long street that seemed to lead in the direction of the plaza. They caught their breath for a moment before Jude pointed down the street, indicating a house roughly two thirds of the way down. "That house, there," he said, "is where you need to go. The front door should be unlocked. Just go in, and there's a door built into the stairs. Open it, and you'll find a basement. I have friends there. You can rest. It's safe there."

"What about you?" Rae asked.

"There's something I have to do."

"Can't we come with you?"

"No. It's too dangerous."

"Will we see you again?" Lily cut in.

"Hopefully. With any luck, I'll be back by midnight. If not . . . I'm probably dead." Before Rae and Lily could say any more, Jude turned abruptly on his heel and sprinted off down another road, leaving the two in a stunned silence.

"I'm done with this!" Drake spat, cracking his whip hand. "Let me kill him already!"

"No!" Caine replied, somewhat angrily. "We need him. He's . . . valuable to us."

"But look at him!" Drake cried in reply, indicating the boy chained to the stone column in front of the two boys. "He's practically dead already."

"I mean it, Drake, if you kill him . . ." Drake stepped in towards Caine and stared coldly into his eyes.

"You'll do what?"

"I'll kill _you_."

"Stop bickering," the boy said, looking up at them. He spat a little blood onto the concrete floor. "I thought you were going to torture me, not bore me to death." Drake cracked his whip hand and the boy cried out in pain.

"Shut your mouth," Drake whispered, a cruel smile now on his face. "Or I'll shut it for you."

The two boys looked down at their prisoner.

"You need to learn to keep that mouth shut, brother of mine," Caine laughed, "because it's getting you into a lot of trouble."

The life seemed to come out of the boy's eyes as Sam Temple slumped in defeat.


	7. Chapter 5

Lily reached the door of the house first and tried the handle. The oaken door swung inwards, just as Jude had said it would, and beyond Lily found herself stepping into a dark, gloomy hallway. Rae followed close behind her friend and closed the door behind the pair. For a moment, the two girls stood, backed up against the door, staring into the shadows. The house was silent. To the right of the hallway was a staircase that twisted upwards to a darkened landing, and to the left were several doors, all shut. Directly ahead of them was another door, this one open a crack, and through it Rae could see what looked to be a kitchen, although, in the darkness of the house, she couldn't be sure. Lily nodded towards the staircase and Rae looked in the direction that she had indicated. Built into the side of the staircase was a door, fairly small, with a silver handle and a small metal keyhole. Slowly, cautiously, Rae went past her friend and crept along the carpeted floor to the door. Trying the handle, Rae found that the door was unlocked, and she silently eased it open. Lily appeared at her side and together they both looked through the door. A steep set of stone stairs stretched downwards to the right of the door, and beneath that was a stone floor that matched the stone walls and ceiling of the basement. Wooden rafters, painted a dark brown colour, stretched across the stone ceiling, preventing it from collapsing. Dotted around the floor were mattresses, most occupied with sleeping children.

In the corner was a collection of tins and sealed packets. The whole place was lit by candle-light. "Hello?" Rae quietly called into the basement. She didn't want to startle anyone into attacking. There was a brief silence and then a girl, curled up next to a boy on a far mattress, sat up and looked up at her. "Who are you?" The girl demanded, easing herself off of the mattress and quietly crossing the stone floor. "What do you want?"

Lily and Rae both looked at each other.

"Jude sent us," Lily said. A look of surprise came over the girl's face. "He said it would be safe for us here," Rae added.

"I guess you'd better come down, then," the girl replied.

When Cathrine woke up, the pain in her leg was still there, dully throbbing. Cathrine assumed that was what had woken her, and sat up, leaning against the wall at the head of her mattress. Beside her, Alessandra was still fast asleep. In the far corner, Nora was whispering to two new girls, both of which Cathrine didn't recognise. The night before – or had it been daytime? Cathrine had lost track of time entirely – Nora had introduced her to the others who were sheltering in the basement. There was Dean, Nora's boyfriend, and Gladion, the quiet boy who slept in the corner, and finally James, a blonde boy who slept against the left wall. Cathrine sighed. She didn't want to stay in the basement but, until her leg healed, that was all she could do. Cathrine supposed that at least the basement was safe. Safe from Drake, and Caine, and that witch, Diana. She knew all too well what they could do. And she didn't want to see it again.

As Dean sat up, waking from his sleep, he noticed Nora was no longer beside him. His eyes scanned across the basement but, sure enough, she had gone. In her place, two new girls had arrived, sleeping on the final pair of mattress that Dean had dragged down into the basement, opposite the two girls who had arrived during the night. Quietly, he eased himself off of his mattress, not wanting to wake any of the others, and silently crossed the basement, heading up the stone steps and out into the hallway. He knew where Nora would be and he ran up the stairs, a blur as he used his super-speed to reach the landing above. At the end was a small staircase and he raced up those, too, skidding to a halt in front of the door at the top of the stairs. A warm breeze drifted in from beneath the door and he quietly turned the handle, stepping out onto the balcony.

It was simple, a small collection of stone tiles with a black metal railing running around the outside. There had been several potted plants up here when Dean and Nora had first arrived, but they had since died without proper care, leaving only a wilting mess in the old, cracked, brown clay pots. Dean looked behind him, closing the door, and, sure enough, Nora was sat above him. She looked down at him and smiled from where she was perched on the very tip of the roof, and, at normal speed this time, Dean climbed up and sat down beside her. Nora slipped her hand in his and rested her head on his shoulder as they both stared out at the horizon.

The sky was a mess of colour. Oranges and reds stretched out in front of them. It was dawn, and it was beautiful. Dean didn't need to say anything. The only thing he did was lean down and kiss Nora, and she kissed him back. They stayed like that for a long time.

"Ready?" Jude asked. Lauren nodded. The two were crouched in a patch of thickly-grown bushes that sat roughly halfway up the hill that overlooked the power plant compound. Lauren's dark brown hair fell down her back, splayed out over her dark grey zipper hoodie. Her hazel eyes scanned the compound below. There were twelve guards in all, six of the roof of the compound and six patrolling the main car park area. "Remember what I told you, okay?" Jude said to her. "No killing unless it is absolutely necessary. Subdue the guards and disarm them. The alarms will be off so we can head straight to the reactor room. And if something happens to me, don't come back for me, alright? Just take Sam and go. You know where to take him, yes?"

Lauren nodded.

"Good. When you get there, if I'm not with you, you have to tell Nora something. Say to her, 'The Raven has fallen'. She will know what that means." Jude pulled up his hood, and Lauren followed his lead.

"When I say 'Run'," Jude continued, sprint to the fence. You know what to do from there." There was a brief silence.

"Run," Jude said, and they ran.


	8. Chapter 6

Jude reached the fence seconds before Lauren did. There was a burst of gunfire and bullets tore up the dirt to Lauren's right. Jude splayed his hand and the fence was ripped in half, splitting down the metal as the metal creased outwards. Jude grabbed Lauren's hand and pulled her through the gap. There was a moment where the pair were sprinting across the concrete before Jude pulled Lauren downwards and they came up behind an old, black pick-up truck that seemed to have been parked there since the FAYZ began. "I've got the roof," he said, "so you have to take out the ones on the ground." Lauren nodded, a little scared. Jude squeezed her hand. "Be brave," he said, and gave her a warm smile. Then he was gone, running, and Lauren stepped up and ran in the opposite direction. She splayed her hand and fire shot from her fingertips, a bright blaze of flame that ripped across the concrete and raced like a beast tearing from hell towards the closest guard. It encircled him, trapping the boy, and he screamed, dropping his weapon and racing through a small gap in the blaze. Lauren smiled. It always felt good when she did that. She turned to the next guard, summoning a ball of fire to her hand, and she hurled it, sending it slicing through the air and towards the girl. She dodged, rolled, lost her weapon and ran in hot pursuit of the boy who had already fled.

Meanwhile, Jude had reached the eastern wall of the complex and jumped, using his powers to propel himself upwards. He landed on the roof, rolled, and threw the closest guard off of the roof like a rag-doll, taking care to set him gently down on the concrete below. He ran. Jude looked down his hands. Telekinesis was a useful thing to have.

He looked down briefly at Lauren. She fought well and hard, and the car park burned in blazes of fire. And it was as he looked at her that it happened. Just for a second. A moment. He saw into her mind.

" _Daddy, please wake up," Lauren cried, her tears running down her broken face as she knelt by the unmoving body of her father. "Please don't leave." Lauren sobbed, a huge, heaving sob and she hugged her father's body, unable to tear herself away from him. The other man, the bad man, had left, and she was glad, because she felt that if he had remained for one moment longer she might have killed him._

Jude stumbled backwards, the telepathic vision gone in instant. "I'm so sorry," Jude murmured, and that was when the bullet smashed through his shoulder. The bone snapped and he yelled in pain and turned, sending a shockwave rippling down the roof that threw the remaining guards backwards. At that point he didn't care whether they lived or died and that was when he felt it. He could feel himself slipping.

"No," Jude murmured, his vision darkening, "not now… I said, NOT NOW!" He yelled and his vision cleared again and he slumped over onto the concrete rooftop. His shoulder bled but he didn't care. That was too close. He couldn't lose control. Not now.

He forced himself back to his feet and, ignoring the pain in his shoulder, he propelled himself away from the roof and then gently lowered himself back down to the concrete as Lauren sent the last guard running.

"Jude, you're hurt," Lauren immediately noticed and tore a strip of material from the bottom of her t-shirt before wrapping that tightly around the wound.

"Thanks," Jude replied. He hesitated, unsure of whether or not to mention to Lauren what he had seen, but he decided against and instead gestured and the main entrance to the power plant complex. The two door seemed to be made of reinforced metal but it took only moments for Lauren to melt through them, leaving a steaming hole in the middle of the metal, the rim of which glowed red in the intense heat. Jude went through first, cautiously stepping through the hole and being careful to avoid the red-hot, glowing metal and the pool of molten liquid that had gathered on the tiled floor inside.

Shadows twisted across the corridors and rooms from the walls and as Jude descended into the darkness of the complex, closely followed by Lauren, he had a sickening feeling that he wouldn't be leaving the complex again.

"Someone's coming," Diana said, hurrying across the main reactor towards where Drake and Caine had been deep in conversation. "There was a fight – outside. I didn't see it but there was gunfire and screaming. I've looked the corridor doors and the main reactor doors, but . . ."

"Too late," Drake snarled and cracked his whip as a hissing sound broke the air. Diana turned and slowly stepped behind Caine as the doors to the reactor room where melted away into a pool of steaming, glowing molten metal. The first person through was a boy, seemingly the same age as Caine, Drake and Diana. He had ginger hair, slicked up at the front, and pale skin to match his cold, grey eyes. He was fairly tall, taller than Caine, who stood at 5ft 7", and was wearing a plain, dark grey t-shirt beneath a darker grey zipper-hoodie. Over this he was wearing a black leather jacket. His jeans were dark and worn, ripped at the knees, and he was wearing a pair of dark grey Converse boots, the laces tied up in a messy knot. Standing behind him was a girl, who looked to be younger, wearing simple clothing. Sam looked up with a surprising expression of hope as the pair stepped into the reactior room.

"Release Sam," the boy said, coldly and threateningly.

"Or what?" Drake snarled.

"Or I'll make you." Drake smiled.

"You want to play?" He laughed. "Let's play."


	9. Chapter 7

There was a sharp spike of white-hot pain that stabbed through Cathrine's mind, as if a dagger had struck her through the skull, and she screamed, clutching her head and falling back against the stone wall, hitting it hard. The sound immediately woke James and Gladion, who were both, at first, confused, but James soon after darted off to locate Nora and Gladion came over, studying Cathrine quietly whilst assuring her that the pain would be gone soon and that she needed to focus on something in the room. Cathrine ignored his words, letting them wash over her as the pain worsened. Her vision clouded, replaced by a thick cloud of blackness, and then a shadow crashed against her eyes and she screamed. Then she was falling, falling, falling, and she hit something, hard, and the shadow was standing over her now. It was hunting her. Searching for her. And now it had found her, it had its prey. Cathrine tried to focus and saw the shadow was a boy, a boy with red hair and grey eyes and pale skin. The boy was smiling. He had a gun. Cathrine screamed. Then the darkness dissipated, tearing apart as if it had never been there, and Cathrine was lying on the mattress again. She started to cry and sank into Alessandra's embrace. The girl was awake now but Cathrine didn't seem to really notice, ignoring the outside world and slipping into blissful unconsciousness.

Jude moved first. He gestured with his hand and Drake flew backwards, crashing into a concrete pillar. The boy yelled but staggered forwards again, angered now. He cracked his whip and charged and Caine ran with him. Lauren darted to the side, fading into the shadows as Jude took up a fighting stance. Drake reached him and lashed out, the whip cracking into Jude's chest and the boy winced but shook it off and punched, a vicious left hook that sent Drake staggering into Caine before the dark-haired boy pushed him off and sent Jude flying backwards. He crashed into the wall, there was a snap of bone and he slid to the floor, unmoving. Caine smiled darkly. That had been too easy. Now where was the girl? He turned to search for her but he was interrupted immediately by a laugh, a cold, dark, evil laugh that sent a spike of fear racing like ice towards Caine's heart.

Slowly, fearfully, Caine turned. Jude laughed. He stood up, and there was the click of bone re-setting and Jude's eyes were red now, dark, and Caine didn't have time to think before he was thrown backwards and slammed into a pillar. A jolt of pain ran up his spine but he forced himself to ignore it, instead focusing his eyes on the scene before him. Drake was choking the boy with his whip, but that was only for a handful of moments before the boy had a blade in his hand that cut cleanly through Drake's whip hand, and he yelled in pain as the boy dropped, dusted himself off and moved towards Caine.

Lauren sprinted from the darkness, coming up behind the girl she didn't know and shoving her, sending her sprawling. She turned away, ran to Sam, and summoned the fire that burned deep within her. The flame tore from her fingers and the chains melted in seconds, dripping into a molten liquid that pooled onto the concrete floor with a hissing noise. Sam, clearly weak and badly injured, collapsed to the floor moments before the girl was back on her feet. Lauren stepped back as she saw the metal pipe in the girl's hand and darted right as she swung it, then ducked and dodged left, desperately trying to avoid the vicious swings. Then she attacked, tackling the girl to the ground. The pipe fell away as the girl threw Lauren off, and by this time Sam had gotten to his feet and was leaning against the column that he had been chained to for support.

Caine felt himself be tossed like a rag-doll into the far wall and as he slid to the ground he lay there, quiet, and catching his breath. He couldn't look up for fear of drawing his attacker into another ruthless onslaught. The boy that faced Drake now was a monster, a dark creature, a demon that needed to be destroyed. Caine dragged himself forwards and propped himself up against a column. His leg was broken, he was sure of that, and his right arm was numb. He could only watch, helpless, as the boy dragged Drake across the room to the hole in the floor that led down to the main reactor. It was a deep, seemingly bottomless hole, a pool of darkness that stretched deep into the earth. It was this that Drake was suspended over, half-dead, his arm missing. The boy held him by his throat above the abyss. He was smiling.

"Don't," Drake begged. "Please." The boy only laughed.

"I'm sorry, Drake," he replied. "You're going to somewhere you'll never hurt anyone again." The last thing Drake felt was the boy releasing his throat, and then his own limp body plummeting downwards into the darkness below.

Caine stood. No. This wasn't how it ended. Not like this. He reached forwards. His mind gripped Diana's body and he threw her away from this place, away from the complex, a movement that was easy as piling up a heap of building blocks. He set her down wherever she had gone. The boy swung around, saw him, knew what he was about to do. His eyes returned to the same grey they had been before. He had changed again, no longer the cruel, evil monster that Caine had seen before. "Lauren!" He yelled. "Run!" And he threw Lauren and Sam away moments before Caine split the ceiling in half and crushed the boy in a heap of debris. The complex folded in on itself and darkness swallowed the two whole.

When Cathrine woke, the others had resumed their places around the room, all in a grim silence. She sat up. Her head throbbed, a pounding headache splitting her mind. The vision she had had was still seared across her mind. She couldn't understand it. Her powers did not work like that, they did not give her visions. So . . . what had caused that one? Her train of thought was interrupted by the basement door being slammed open. There was sound of grunting and steps and then a young girl dragged a teenage boy from the steps to the centre of the room. Nora was alert immediately, running to the boy and the girl. She checked the boy over and looked at the girl. Their eyes locked and it seemed that a silent understanding passed between them.

"The Raven has fallen," was all the young girl said.

She started to cry.


	10. Chapter 8

James and Sydney had heard the collapse of the power plant from the top of one of the overlooking hills, and had cautiously gone to investigate minutes later. There wasn't much left of the compound apart from mounds of debris that covered the broken, cracked concrete ground that was streaked and marked with burns and ash. A deathly silence hung over the ruins and James shivered. Sydney brushed her light brown hair nervously out of her eyes and scanned the ruined plant with her eyes. There were no signs of life, apart from… "Oh God," she murmured, placing a hand over her mouth. A pool of blood had spread outwards from underneath a large mound of debris. She took a step closer and saw a pale hand protruding out from underneath a chunk of concrete. Whoever was under there was very, very dead. "You shouldn't be here," a voice said from behind her and both she and James turned around to see a boy wearing what seemed to be a school uniform. The outfit was covered in dust and dried blood, and the same blood covered most of the boy's left cheek. He held his right arm like it was in pain and walked towards them with a limp. His dark hair was matted with more blood and dust, and his skin was pale, his eyes cold and calculating. He regarded them with minor disinterest, as if they were nothing. James stepped forwards so that he was in between Sydney and the boy. "Who are you?" James demanded. The boy laughed.

"Caine Soren," he replied. "Now leave. Final warning." James opened his mouth to speak, but Sydney put her hand on his arm to stop him.

"James, I think we should go," Sydney said.

"But Sydney…"

"I don't like this. Let's go, James." James took one last look at Caine, saw the dark, cruel look in his eye. He turned and saw the blood and the hand. Something was off here. Something didn't add up. He didn't like the boy. He didn't like any of this. He turned, and followed Sydney away, down the hill and towards the highway.

Sam Temple was lying, numb, on a mattress in a corner of the basement. His eyes were closed and he was trying to sleep, but he couldn't. The final moments in the power plant still flashed in the blackness beneath his eyelids and the sacrifice of his friend still stung like a fresh scar. He and Jude had been friends since birth. They had gone to school together, hung out together, gone to the movies together… The memories of their early childhood flashed through Sam's mind and he forced them away. He felt like crying. His wounds ached and he tried not to move for fear of worsening the dull pain that throbbed through his body. Somewhere else in the basement, the girl that had been with Jude was lying on a mattress. She hadn't stopped crying, really, since his death. He didn't know how close they had been but guessed it was more of a brother-sister relationship. And then, in the far corner, beneath the basement steps, the girl who had the visions. Who could change peoples' thoughts, enter their minds, as if she was pushing through a cloud instead of solid bricks or flesh. Sam wondered if Caine was still alive. Half of him hoped that he wasn't. Half of him hoped that he had perished in the collapse and died along with Sam's best friend. And the other half hoped that he was still alive. That, somewhere out there, in the FAYZ, he was still breathing, still scheming, still… evil. A single tear rolled down Sam's cheek. That was all that he allowed himself before he rubbed it away and tried to sleep once more.

Diana Ladris was up on the highway. She had been walking for at least an hour, trudging between the rows of old, broken cars, and eyes on the ground. Caine was dead. Of that she was sure. And now that he had perished, buried beneath cold rock somewhere behind her in the hills, she wasn't sure what she could do next. She briefly wondered if Sam was still alive, and if he and the girl that had been with Caine and Drake's attacker had made it out before the collapse. She wondered if they were still alive. Diana looked up, and, not so far away now, she saw the road that turned downwards from the highway and towards Perdido Beach. This was the road that she turned on, and that was the road that swallowed her from sight as Caine Soren reached the crest of one of the outlying hills around the plant. He was still alive. She was still alive. And, no matter what had happened to Drake, and whether or not he had perished as he had been flung into the earth by the devil, Sam Temple still wasn't safe.

All that Cathrine could see was darkness. A thick black abyss of nothingness that she herself walked through. She had seen the blackness an hour ago, and since then, it had consumed her until all that she could see was herself, walking through the abyss. Cathrine took yet another step and then her surroundings changed. At first, she was unsure of what she was looking at, but then recognised the landscape from a pre-FAYZ school trip. The power plant. Except… it was in ruins. She remembered what Lauren had said to Nora. "The Raven has fallen." She guessed this was where it had happened. Cathrine focused and saw a hand and blood. She would never know him. Why was she here? What was she seeing all of this? And that was when it happened.

"Surprise," a voice said from behind her and she turned to see the boy from her vision. She screamed and backed up. The boy smiled. "That's an interesting set of powers you've got there, Cathrine. I'm interested, actually, and need to speak to you about them. Name's Jude, by the way."

"You're… you're dead."

"Ah. Well… no, not exactly. I'm good at the kind of cheating death thing. I'll be back soon enough. Tell them I'm not dead. Tell _Lauren_ I'm not dead." The boy smiled at her. "See you soon." Then Cathrine gasped, waking up in the basement.

"Jude's not dead," was all that she said.


	11. Chapter 9

By the time that Diana had reached town, she was almost dead on her feet, exhausted from the long walk from the now-destroyed power plant to Perdido Beach. The night was black and thick, starless, and the weight of Diana's body seemed almost two much for her legs, threatening to collapse her. She staggered into the empty plaza, debris scattered about the concrete structures, abandoned there from some battle. Diana sighed, weary. She had lost track of the number of fights they had had in that place. In the FAYZ, since it had all started. Taking a last, few, exhausted steps, she slumped onto a charred wooden bench near the edge of the plaza and lay down, tired eyes staring up at the heavy blackness above. She fought to keep her eyes open, to stay at least a little alert to her surroundings, but the tiredness soon overcame her and in a matter of long, silent minutes, she was asleep. A cold, crisp night wind blew through the plaza, washing over her bruised body. Her mind had already sunk deep into unconsciousness, unable to summon up a dream that would, at least in sleep, take her away from the horrors of the FAYZ. The night was dark. The night was silent.

The night wasn't empty.

On the other side of town, right at the very edge of Perdido Beach, James and Sydney were sheltered in the very back of a van. The van had been left, abandoned, at the side of the road, as if it had been messily parked with a three-year-old and then left there. James had already checked underneath the bonnet. The engine was dead, most likely had been that way since the very beginning of the FAYZ, the petrol are stolen or dried up. James didn't care. He was too tired to care. The van's doors and windows were sealed up tight, what little warmth that had been in the vehicle when they had arrived an hour ago staying in there. Sydney was huddled up to James, trying to keep warm, and she was asleep, leaving James alone, in the back of the van, in the dark. Alone with his thoughts.

The cruel, harsh face of the boy they had met at the power plant flashed across his vision, the evil look in his eyes haunting James' mind. His mind was whirring. Something about the boy, about the power plant, about the dead body in the rubble... there was something that James didn't like.

Something he couldn't quite place.

Caine's leg had given up when he was halfway along the highway, halfway to Perdido Beach. There were waves of pain still running through it now, but the exhaustion in Caine's limbs dulled the pain somewhat. The boy had dragged himself to the nearest unlocked car as was laid across the back seat, blazer wrapped about him for warmth and leg propped up so as to ease the pain. He was, as far as he was aware, hidden in the shadows of the car from anyone that might happen to walk past – which was unlikely, at this time of night, but in the FAYZ you could never be too careful. He had locked the doors, besides, and he was a light sleeper – he doubted anyone would be able to catch him unawares before Caine could retaliate to the attack.

Thoughts raced through Caine's mind at a million miles an hour – was Drake dead, was the boy dead, where was Sam Temple, where was Diana, was Diana safe?

He wasn't sure.

He was sure as hell going to find out.

Somewhere out there, somewhere, in the dead of night, something shifted.

Something turned.

Something moved.

Something beneath the ground, something that shouldn't have been there.

Gaiaphage.

Underneath the debris of the power plant, the body of a boy lay. It was cold, and dead, and unmoving, and silent.

Then something happened that contradicted all of those things.

The hand moves. The lips parted. The body took a breath.

The eyes opened.

The boy smiled.

Death's a funny thing, really, it sort of creeps up behind and catches you when you're not ready, like a childhood nightmare or a ghost on an old horror film. You know it's coming, really, you know it's there, but it's still a surprise.

Still a shock.

Death hung over Perdido Beach.

It was coming.

Gaiaphage.


	12. Chapter 10

Drake Merwin was dead. He was very, very dead. His the bones in his body had shattered upon impact after his plummet into darkness after the chaotic battle in the power plant. His head lay at an angle that was grotesque and very, very disgusting. His arm, his whip hand, his favoured weapon, was gone.

He was dead.

The Gaiaphage, the mass of crystalline fragments that seemed to pulsate with a sickly green colour, was lying at the other side of the cavern to where the body of Merwin had fallen, studying him, and watching the dead body. The Gaiaphage's intelligence, the semi-detached consciousness that kept the thing alive, kept the fragments pulsing, green light flashing, _and heart beating_ – was looking for signs of life, of which there were none. Drake Merwin was dead, of course. The Gaiaphage didn't believe in death. The creature saw death as a fickle thing, a toy to be played with, a new boundary to test, and a line to cross.

The Gaiaphage's intelligence stretched across the shadow-strewn cavern and probed the broken body, reaching through the skull, into the mind, and then into the heart, and then into the bones, until the creature's conscience held Merwin's corpse in a firm grip, a deathly, unnatural embrace.

 _Live._

 _Live._

 _Live._

The first thing that happened was in the bones. One by one, piece by broken piece, they reset, snapping together, clicking firmly into the shape that they had once been. The skeleton reset entirely, giving the previously limp corpse a shape to hold together, a form, a purpose. The next thing, then, was the arm. It only took a matter of seconds, but perhaps to the Gaiaphage, to the detached conscience, it seemed years, took an eternity of pure, basic _effort_ , for the whip hand to grow back. The deadly, scaled beast of a limb lay, limp and fresh and _new,_ besides the repaired body of its owner. Now, then, the greatest challenge of all.

 _Live._

 _Live._

 _Live._

The heart beat once at first, and then stopped, returning to the quiet peace of the grave. Maybe it would have been better, really, in the long run, if Merwin had stayed dead. If the boy had remained there, perhaps forever, in the cold embrace of the shadows of the cavern, unable to harm anyone or be harmed by anyone. The Gaiaphage couldn't care less, though, for the consequences. Its intelligences saw the _possibilities_ provided by bringing the psychopath back from beyond the grave, and to the Gaiaphage, those possibilities were all that really mattered.

The heart beat once more, then again, then again, until a steady rhythm was returned to the chest and Drake Merwin sat up straight, gasping for breath, swallowing in great lungfuls, mind whirring, body stirring. He was back.

 _I've got a job for you_ , the voice came in his head. Heavy and cold and dangerous.

"Yes?" Merwin replied, into the darkness, towards the creature that he oddly found comforting.

 _I need you to kill someone for me._

Ophelia Soren was not the person that Caine expected to see when he woke up. She startled him at first, and he sat up, bolt-straight, crashing his head painfully into the roof of the car he had concealed himself in the night before. Then the pain set in in his leg once again, and he swore viciously and loudly, not caring, for the moment, about his sister, but once the pain had died down again, he turned to look at his adoptive sister. "And what the bloody hell are you doing here?" He demanded.

She only smirked at him at first, mysterious grey eyes locked on his, twirling a piece of her wavy, jet-black hair between forefinger and thumb.

"Well?!" He asked once again.

"I _thought_ you'd be pleased to see me, Caine," she said in a light tone. "We _are_ supposed to be siblings, after all."

" _Adoptive_ siblings," he snapped back at her.

" _Adoptive_ siblings, then." She looked down at the floor, sad, not the cocksure girl she had been moments before. "Look, I'm sorry, Caine, I just… I didn't know where else to go."

Caine mellowed.

"I'm sorry for snapping, it's just… it's been a long week. And a long week before that…" He trailed off. "I wasn't even sure if you were still alive after… after what happened."

Ophelia swallowed down the rising panic in her chest at the memory. She put on a brave smile. "Well I am!" She chirped. "And that's all that matters."

"Yes," Caine said, a little sourly. It was so hard to be nice to people these days, even her. He sat up properly, and smiled at his adopted sister. "How about a little trip?"

"Where are we going?"

"Perdido Beach. I've… got some unfinished business."

"Sounds… _perfect_."


	13. Chapter 11

Nora shivered. There was an odd chill about the morning and she didn't like it. She never _had_ liked the cold weather, but that morning felt a little… different. There was something eerie around the half-empty streets of Perdido Beach. That's what war got you, she supposed. For war was definitely happening in the FAYZ. Nora herself had seen things. _Terrible, terrible_ things. Things that a girl like herself should never have to see in her entire life. Piles of corpses as tall as buildings, the life being choked from children, _whole streets running red_ … It was disgusting. Kids had broken when they had needed to stay intact the most. Some had chosen to rise up, take on the mantle of being a _hero_ … whilst others had taken the opposite, darker path to that route.

Nora was sat on the roof of the house, alone in the cold bitterness of the morning. She was wearing a baggy, comfortable jumper that she had found whilst rooting around through one of the bedrooms, and the soft, worn material gave her a little comfort in the biting wind. She hugged it to herself, hair blowing about her face in the wind, as she looked up and down the street. Empty, as usual, apart from the debris, ruined cars, and the customary damage that had become the façade of the FAYZ. It was grim, it was bleak, it was _depressing_ … and yet it was her life now. The sudden transition period from a completely normal life to this living hell had shaken Nora to the core, almost shattered her entirely, but she had held together. Pushed through. Made a life for herself, if it could indeed be called that, down there in the cellar with the other kids. Lauren, James, Gladion, Dean, Cathrine, Rae, Alessandra and Lily. All of them unique.

A family.

Almost.

Nora's train of thought was shattered when she heard the shouts, and then the running footsteps. Her head snapped up to attention, her mind and senses suddenly alert, and her eyes scanned the street, searching for the source of the sudden sounds. To the left – right at the very end of the street, where it opened up into – was Perdido Beach not encircled with an impenetrable dome and life here remained some semblance of _normal_ – a busy roundabout. First came a pair of teens, a boy and a girl, the boy at the front, clinging onto the pale, slender hand of the girl, half-dragging her along in what could only be described as utter desperation as the pair fled from something. Nora looked past them, and then, in that moment, saw what they were running from.

Caine Soren.

She didn't blame them for running.

He had his right arm held out, palm splayed, aimed at a stiff, straight angle towards the fleeing children. The boy was walking at a strangely calm and slow pace, an evil smirk playing out on his pale lips and his messy, dark hair pushed up, away from his face, by the fingers of the wind. He looked as if he had them right where he wanted them. Then, besides him, a girl that Nora did not recognise, yet one that looked startlingly similar to Caine. She shared almost identical, yet feminine, features, a similar smile on her lips. She strolled alongside Caine, watching the boy and the girl as they ran. She turned her head slightly to the right, her eyes never leaving their potential victims, and said something inaudible to Nora in the wind to Caine.

Caine's smile broadened, and he nodded.

He seemed to force his hand forwards in an oddly delicate movement, a strange thrust that seemed to display both power and an inner gentleness. It took the moment for Nora to blink, and when her eyes had immediately returned to the street, the boy and the girl that had previously been running were now lying, clearly in some considerable amount of pain, on their backs in the middle of the street, a good thirty metres ahead from where they had been a split second before. Telekinesis is a very powerful ability to possess, and sadly, it was Caine Soren – and Nora's late friend, Jude – that had possessed it.

The boy was the first up, staggering to his feet, arms outstretched towards his attackers in a clear signal of surrender. He shook his head, panting from the exertion of the chase, and shook his head, saying something – again unheard to Nora – to Caine and the other girl. The other girl, who had been running, was still on the ground, seemingly unable to pick herself back up. Nora, in a startling moment of clarity, saw why – her leg was twisted at an angle. Broken.

Nora found herself frozen, up there on the roof, like a helpless narrator describing the scene of a murder.

Still, Caine and the girl advanced, Caine's arm still raised, ready for his abilities to be used again.

Nora cursed herself under her breath for waiting so long, and then hurried, back inside the house.

"Please… please," James pleaded, still out of breath from their flight through the streets of Perdido Beach. "Please, I beg of you, don't. Don't do it, not to us, not now. Please…"

Ophelia laughed to herself. "Oh, dear brother, I do so love it when they beg. Make him beg again."

Caine gladly obliged. With the slight twitch of his outstretched hand, the body of Sydney was lifted into the air, perhaps four metres or so off of the ground, her injured leg still twisted awkwardly. In the sudden shock of the movement, or pain, perhaps, no-one was sure, Sydney's eyes rolled into the back of her hand and she passed out. James vigorously shook his head and fell to his knees of the concrete, arms still reaching out towards his attackers. "Don't hurt her, no, please…" Even as he begged, James sounded defeated. Like he knew it was over, that maybe _he_ was over, but that he just hadn't accepted it quite yet.

Ophelia laughed again, clapping her hands together, and Caine allowed himself a quiet chuckle.

"I could snap her neck, right now, my dear James," he called to his victim. "I could smash her into the ground until all her bones were broken, or maybe, just maybe, if I wanted, my dear James, I could turn her inside-out for you, right now. Would you like that, James?" James shook his head, wiping the trail of blood that had started to run from his nose. "I'm feeling nice. How about I let you choose?"

"L-let me choose what?" James replied timidly.

"Let you choose how I kill her." Caine's smile broadened further until a look of pure evil contorted his otherwise handsome features.

There was a pause as James weighed up his chances. Weighed up _Sydney's_ chances, as she hung there, helpless, in the air.

Then, "Nobody… is going to be killing… anybody."

Sam Temple limped out of the front gate, looking weary already. "Put her down, Caine," he demanded. "Or I'll put you down."

"Always have to be the big man, don't you, Sammy boy? Eh? Always the hero."

Nora and the others looked on, nervously, as their wounded hero went out to face the demon that was his brother. "Tell you what, Sam, I'll snap her neck, I think that's the best," he said in a sing-song voice, taunting his brother.

"Then I tell you what, Caine," a new voice said, "I'll snap your sister's neck. After all…"

There was a pause as everyone turned to see Jude, sitting casually on the bonnet of a crashed car.

"I think that's the best."

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR (PLEASE READ):

Hi guys, I just wanted to say again how grateful I am for all the support this story has been getting. Recently, I got a review from someone that just said how they loved the story and how they were supporting me all the way, and that really made my day. You guys are all wonderful, you really are.

Also… I hate to say it, but I'm going to start killing off some of the characters. There you are, I've dropped the bombshell. I love all your OCs, and I've still got a few to add in, but some have got to go. You can always send in new ones, obviously, and again, I'm grateful for all and every support.

So yeah, if you could drop a review or tell your friends about the story, that would be AMAZING!

Thanks so much,

AWalkerAmongstFandoms


	14. Chapter 12

There was a faint chorus of gasps and muffled cheers at Jude's sudden appearance, but everyone appeared to be frozen, locked in anticipation, as he slid smoothly off the bonnet and stepped out into the road, standing now between Caine and Ophelia, and James and Sydney. "I wouldn't try anything, Caine," Jude said softly, threateningly, "so just put the girl down."

"Damn you," was Caine's reply, as his hand slowly lowered and the girl eased back to the ground, unconscious, lying on the concrete. James rushed to her side, kneeling down beside her. "How are you not dead?!" Caine demanded of the newcomer, fists clenched, a bitterness in his voice. "I killed you. I _crushed_ you."

"Death's a fickle thing, Caine," Jude coolly replied. "You'll come to learn that one day."

"Don't threaten my brother, demon," Ophelia spat bitterly. "You'll come to regret it."

"Don't test me today. Your brother already knows what I get like when I'm angry."

Nora suddenly stepped out from the relative safety of the garden path, arms raised in what she hoped was a peaceful manner. "How about we all just calm down here, alright? There's no need for a confrontation," she said, looking from Jude, to James and Sydney, to Caine and Ophelia, and then back again. She finally rested her eyes on Caine. "I'm asking you, _nicely_ , to leave," she said slowly. "We've done nothing to provoke a fight. If you attack us…" She paused for a moment. "I'll let the demon off his leash."

Caine laughed. "You honestly don't think that I couldn't just kill all of you, right now, if I wanted to? And if I certainly couldn't, well… my sister certainly _could_." A pause, an uneasy silence hung in the air.

"I just want Sam," he said. "Give me him, and I'll let you all go."

Sam looked suddenly uneasy from where he had been standing at the side of the road.

Nora said, "No."

"Excuse me?!" Caine said.

"You heard me."

Caine lifted his hand. Jude lifted his.

There was a sudden, still stand-off moment as the small crowd of mutants watched on, anticipating the fight that might be about to happen. That was when they heard the footsteps. In one, fluid movement, all of the heads in the street turned, looking towards the direction that they had come from. Jude swore loudly. Drake Merwin.

His whip hand was wrapped around the neck of a girl that he had been dragging behind her. She had long, wavy blond hair and brown eyes, with pale skin, slightly tanned. She was wearing a battered, dirty white blouse and a thigh-length denim skirt, with scuffed up white Converse. She was limp, and unconscious – maybe dead.

"You're not a very easy boy to put down, are you?" Jude said.

"Sorry to break up the party," Drake replied coolly. "It's just, I found this girl on the way, and I've got this voice in the back of my head saying I need to kill some people, so… No better place to start, I guess."

"Is she dead?!" Nora demanded, eyes fixed on the girl.

"Maybe. I don't know." In a casual movement, he tossed the body of the girl to Nora's feet. "Check, if you like."

Nora immediately dropped to her knees, checking the girl's pulse.

"She's alive," she said, relief flooding her voice. "Barely, though."

"So, then, Drake," Jude called his enemy across the ruined street. "How are you still alive? And, more to the point, why are you so desperate to come right back into the action?"

There was a pause, and now all eyes rested on Drake, anticipating his answer. They all knew something important – something, maybe _crucial_ – had happened to bring Drake back to life. Even Caine watched, waiting. He had seen Drake die. Lauren, too, standing on the garden path. Sam, uneasy still, at the side of the road. Then, Drake started to laugh, a cold, evil laugh that seemed to send a chilled shiver down the spine of everyone there.

"Death's a fickle thing, isn't it Jude?" He replied. "It can be bent, twisted and reversed, at will. Something, something far worse than anything you've faced so far in the FAYZ, is sitting beneath the ground, sitting there, in the dark and the cold. It's watching all of us, and it is _waiting_. It has been waiting for a while now, it said, and soon, very soon, it's going to come out of the shadows, and when that day comes, you – _all of you_ – don't stand a chance in high heaven of fighting back." He paused, and then continued. "It brought me back. I'm not sure how, to be honest with you, and I'm not fully sure _why_ just yet – but there's this little voice at the back of my head, telling me I need to kill someone. I'm not sure who, yet, thought, because the voice is very quiet, but I decided to kill two birds with one stone and come here." He laughed again, and then stared into Jude's eyes.

"And you know what's funny, Jude, what really makes me smile?" He smirked. "You don't know how you're still alive, do you? You put on a big, brave face, tell people it's going to be okay, and you _fight the good fight_ – but, at the end of the day, you're just a scared little boy. That fear's going to kill you, if I don't first."

Time slowed down.

Caine lifted his hands, eyes focused. Drake raised his whip hand, about to strike. Nora and Jude moved smilutaneously. Nora threw up both of her hands, aiming for a poorly-cut bush on the opposite side of the street. She pulled her hands back, swiftly, and suddenly, the plant grew and grew in the shortest of seconds, and formed a thick, branched barrier of leaves and twigs and thicker trunks that blocked the street, severing Caine, Ophelia and Drake away from the others. Jude lifted one hand and viciously hurled a parked car that smacked into Drake the second before the barrier whipped across. He turned, looked at the small crowd as Nora fought to hold the barrier together. "Everybody run! The rocks, past the jetty, at the end of the beach – head there!" He yelled at them, and they took off, sprinting wildly, fear seizing their faces and their movements. James took off, carrying the unconscious Sydney in his arms, and Jude lifted his hand, holding the half-dead girl that Drake had delivered to them in mid-air. He started to run, and in seconds, Nora was alone. At the end of the street, Jude turned back, and made a swift yanking movement with his free hand. Nora flew backwards, to the concrete where he was standing, she stumbled, he grabbed her hand, and, the half-dead girl flying alongside them, they ran.

Ran for their life.


End file.
